I know, but knowing Tamashii it could happen. They renewal Shadow Moon and most people feel like the original was just fine and holds up well.

I looked up G3-X, and it looks a bit dated (to me, at least).
-head looks squished/head crest looks too big
-skinny, odd proportions
-doesn't look as bulky as G3-X was in the show
-Blue isn't deep enough, but that may just be a lighting problem.

Of course, while G3-X could use a renewal, there are more important characters Bandai could do.

I was also curious about this. It'll be interesting to see what is and what isn't branded an SS, especially in the case of figures like the Oni that don't have any SHFs at all. Would they be SS figures or just normal figures using the SS Hibiki base?

skinny body, those shoulder pads and oversized weapon?

I just recieved my Kiva-la today. I was delighted... until I tried to insert her rapier into her right sword hand. All the fingers broke off. I haven't had a QC problem with Figuarts this serious since I got OOO out of the box and his leg immediately broke.

I like my G3-X but I definitely could see them make an upgrade on him if they are doing the others secondary riders. The question is would they Upgrade Gills too?

That sucks big time sorry to hear that happen to your figuart. I had a problem like that with the combat shocker 3 pack that came out a few years back. Took the shocker out and went to put the rod in his hand and the hand snap right off. I think what Bandai does is they used cheaper plastic for figuarts that might not sell well and those who buy the figuart can't tell if it will break or not.

That's a ridiculous theory.
The sad thing is sometimes you'll just get duds. While Tokumonkey's Kiva-la has obvious issues, mine is immaculate so unfortunately it's just luck of the draw. In the case of Kiva-la it's more likely that the pearly white plastic they used isn't quite as durable as the usual matte finish colours.

Really sucks to hear what happened to your figure though Tokumonkey. Having a figure break right out the box is a horrible experience.

As a toy design student, I'm with ZeoRanger here. Bandai, the company, does not decide what plastic is used for a figure. It's mainly the designer, though if they're not sure, an engineer will help them decide what plastic is best for the job. In the case of Figuarts, it's simply whether or not those plastic tolerances are playing nice on your specific copy of the toy. Especially since the way figuarts go is mostly PVC for anime figures and mostly ABS for Riders. I'm sure Bandai just uses/buys that plastic from the same supplier for every figuart they make. So, I don't think there's a ton of variation in what plastic they use. As for Kivaara, is that really the plastic color? because I'd assume that the pearl white is paint, and if it is the plastic, then that'd suck, since those of us who buy Transformers know just how risky that is.

As for Tokumonkey...that really sucks dude, I can't imagine how that could've happened. I've never heard of the fingers breaking off an SHF, ever.

For the guys hunting down the Tamashii Nations event exclusives: It seems like the Web Shop will sell the left-over stock (I can't translate the page properly but there's a date on them) and NY has stock of all the exclusives now.

The webshop is offering them as a lottery, so it won'd be widely available that way again (so, like what happened with last year's exclusives).

NY selling them at those prices kind of surprises me? I was expecting everything to be higher.

EDIT: Eff it, threw in an order for the Dark Flame effects since they've just not shown up on Mandarake (except for one that sold out before I knew it was there) and that's not far off what Mandarake priced that one for anyways. Threw in a Robot Spirits I'd been looking that was on sale while I was there.